No charges for father in TV beating, but for psychologists?(ABC PrimeTime)

No charges for father in TV beating, but for psychologists?

By PETER CROWLEY, Enterprise Managing Editor

SARANAC LAKE — A two-year statute of limitation expired in the three years between when an ABC News camera captured a Franklin Falls father beating his teenage daughter and when the network’s “Primetime” news magazine aired the footage Friday night.

That means it’s too late for father Joe Nelson to face misdemeanor charges for hitting his daughter Kyle, Franklin County District Attorney Derek Champagne announced Tuesday in a strongly worded statement. He and state police say they had no knowledge of the incident before it was on television. They and county Child Protective Services opened a criminal investigation the next day, and now, Champagne is appealing for the state Legislature to lengthen the statute of limitations for offenses against children.

State police, meanwhile, are looking into whether ABC News’ hired psychologists had a legal obligation to report the physical abuse they saw on tape to authorities, Capt. Robert LaFountain said this morning.

LaFountain also said his investigators, who have interviewed several family members, are looking beyond the tape to find out whether there are other abuse allegations regarding either Kyle Nelson or Joe and Lynn Nelson’s three younger children.




http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/news/articles.asp?articleID=2392

they should have reported it without a DOUBT


this is absolutely wrong.

fucking psychologists should know the laws of the state that they practice in.

mandated reporters means MANDATED!!!!!

that reporting would be mandatory in this case. Most state laws are based on the APA guidelines. I know that in my state they would face both criminal charges and action by the Dept of Regulation & Licensing for failure to do so.